


When Forever Comes I'm Gonna Love You Another Day

by Auddieliz09



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Drunk love confessions, First Kiss, Love Confessions, M/M, buck is a happy drunk, eddie is in denial
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-12
Updated: 2019-04-12
Packaged: 2020-01-12 08:18:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18442655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Auddieliz09/pseuds/Auddieliz09
Summary: Eddie gets called to pick up a very drunk Buck. Buck talks more than he plans.





	When Forever Comes I'm Gonna Love You Another Day

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ithinkwehaveanemergency](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ithinkwehaveanemergency/gifts).



> For Adri. Happy (late) birthday, girl. I hope you enjoy my first shot at Buddie.

Eddie sits back on his couch, props one foot up on the coffee table, and brings his beer up to his lips. His free hand is gripping the remote, scrolling through Netflix. He’s thinking now that he probably should have set up a children’s profile for Christopher because there’re way too many kid shows being recommended to him right now. Chris is at Shannon’s, he doesn’t have another shift for thirty-six hours and he wants nothing more than to relax and just have some Eddie time.

 

He immediately feels guilty for thinking that thought. As much as he knows he doesn’t have to be Dad one hundred percent of the time now that Shannon is back in Chris’s life, he can’t help but wonder if his son his happy anytime he’s out of his sight. He sighs and shakes out his shoulders.  _ You can do this, Eddie. No one is going to accuse you of being a terrible parent for taking a little bit of free time every once in a while. _ With Buck’s words echoing in his head, he chooses an action flick he’s had his eye on.

 

Halfway through the movie, which had too much drama in it for his preference, his phone goes off. He frowns at Chimney’s name on the screen before answering. “Hey, Chim. Everything alright?”

 

“Yes and no, man,” Chimney says loudly to be heard over some god-awful singing in the background. “Nobody is dying, but I can’t take this anymore. I know you’re probably enjoying your free and alone time, but do you think you can come get your boy?”

 

“My boy?”  _ Christopher is supposed to be with his mom. What- _

 

“Yes. Since you’re all he’s been talking about since his fourth beer, I think you should come get him, Eddie.”

 

“Eddie? Where’s Eddie? Are you talking to Eddie?” There’s a short scuffle on the other line and Eddie bites his lip to keep from laughing out loud to sound of Chimney scuffling with an obviously drunk Evan Buckley. Someone finally wins and then Eddie hears. “Heeyyy, Eddie! Eddie Diaz, my man. Well, not really. Which kinda sucks but hey, hey! You should totally come out and hang out and just, like, be here, man. With me. And everyone.”

 

Eddie’s heart does a thing when he hears Buck say it sucks that he’s not his man. But he pushes it away knowing that  _ that _ isn’t what Buck meant. It couldn’t have been. “That’s- you know what, Buck? How about I just come pick you up and then we can hang out together.”

 

Eddie gasps. “Just us?!”

 

“Yeah, buddy, just us.”

 

“Yes! Come and get me, Eddie! I’ll be right here. Chim! Chim! Eddie is coming to get me so I’m gonna stay right here so he can find me.”

 

“Alright, Buck.” Eddie hears Chimney say in the background. “But I’m pretty sure you can go back inside.”

 

“No! I have to stay here so Eddie can find me or he’ll give up and leave me here.”

 

“Buck!” Eddie hollers into the phone as he hauls himself off the couch to go to his room and put some pants on. “You can go inside if you want. I promise I won’t give up until I find you, okay?”

 

“You promise?”

 

“Consider it an official pinky swear.”

 

“Okay. I’ll go inside and wait. It’s cold outside.”

 

“Yes, it is. Can you give Chim his phone back so he can tell me where to find you?”

 

“Yup.”

 

Chimney’s voice replaces Buck’s. “Thanks, man. We’re at the karaoke bar. We’ll keep an eye on him till you get here. I hope this isn’t screwing up your plans too much?”

 

“It’s all good. I was starting to bore myself, to be honest.” He slips on his jacket and grabs his keys from the bowl he keeps them in. “I’ll be there in fifteen.”

 

“You’re a saint, Eddie.”

 

*

 

He walks into the bar and looks around for his teammates. Oddly enough the first person he spots is Maddie. He wanders in her direction and sees everyone else. Except for the person he’s here to pick up. He frowns a little, scanning the crowd.

 

Hen is the first person to see him walking toward them. “Eddie!” She waves.

 

He grins at her and picks up the pace. When he reaches the table, Chimney hops up from Maddie’s side, grinning. “Finally. Love him, but he’s starting to drive us nuts.”

 

“How long has this been a thing exactly?” Maddie asks, one eyebrow arched, eyes assessing.

 

“What do you mean? What thing?” Eddie isn’t sure what she’s talking about.

 

“Uh, like, maybe the fact that you and my brother are-”

 

“ _ ‘Just friends.’ _ ” Hen stresses with her own judgy eyebrows.

 

Before Eddie can defend himself, if that’s what he even needs to do in this confusing situation, he’s saved by a drunk Buck stumbling up and wrapping his arms him. He absolutely does  _ not _ think about how good those arms feel around him. His heart definitely does  _ not _ squeeze in his chest before trying to beat right out of his ribs. And under  _ zero _ circumstances does he blush at the smirks everyone at the table throws at him behind Buck’s back. They’re just two dudes hugging each other because one is a cuddly drunk. No big.

 

“It took you forever to get here!” Buck complains loudly in his ear. “What took so long?”

 

Eddie chuckles. “I actually got here a few minutes earlier than anticipated.”

 

“You- you should learn to teleport. Thataway you can get here faster.”

 

“I’ll work on that for next time, okay?” He pulls away from Buck. “Let’s get you home, yeah?”

 

Buck gives him a goofy puppy grin and agrees. He pulls Maddie into a bear hug, then Chimney. To everyone else, he loudly hollers goodbye and that he loves them all before slinging an arm over Eddie’s shoulders and letting himself be guided out of the bar.

 

They get in Eddie’s truck and he helps Buck with his seatbelt and starts the engine. He slings his arm behind the passenger seat to back up and catches Buck staring at him. “What?”

 

Buck leans the side of his head against the headrest. “You should totally do that more often.” 

 

“Back out of a parking space?” Eddie asks, bemused.

 

“Smile.” Buck smiles lazily. “It’s so pretty.”

 

Eddie ducks his head then continues to exit the parking lot. Soo maybe he hadn’t stopped smiling since Buck hugged him. But really, he’s a happy drunk and it’s infectious. That’s all it is.

 

When they’re on the highway, Buck picks up as if there hadn’t been a five-minute long silence. “Like, all of you is pretty. But I like your smile best. Your pretty eyes crinkle and get all soft. I especially like it when you smile at me. Feels like I unlocked the secret to happ-ness or somethin’. An’ your laugh. Best sound in the whole wide world.” His words are starting to really slur and his head is drooping.

 

Eddie doesn’t know how to feel about his best friend waxing drunken poetic about how pretty he thinks his face is. Part of him is hopeful, the rest of him just figures that Buck is drunk and nothing he says actually  _ matters.  _

 

The rest of the ride is silent as Buck dozes and Eddie quietly broods over the fact that he’s fallen hat over boots for his best friend. Who is now calling him pretty. Can the world really be so cruel? Well, considering what he sees daily on the job and what he saw during deployment, yes it can, but still, he’s not used to literally any of this. 

 

Sure, he’s been attracted to men before and the Army opened a lot of opportunities to mentally explore that side of himself. He never cheated on his wife, but he has an active imagination. So this is the first time he’s ever allowed himself to have feelings for a man he feels drawn to. Just his luck that this man was formerly known as a womanizer and doesn’t seem to be interested in men.  _ Yeah, but he thinks I’m pretty. _ Maybe, just maybe, that means  _ something. _

 

Eddie pulls into his driveway and cuts off the engine. He turns to Buck and pushes on his shoulder. “Hey, man, we’re here. Let’s get you inside and put some water and Tylenol in you.”

 

Buck smiles sweetly at him. “M’kay.”

 

Eddie exits the truck and hustles around it to help Buck out. He’s got the door open but he forgot to undo his seatbelt before trying to get out. Eddie chuckles and leans over him to hit the release button. When he straightens, he looks up to see Buck’s face very close to his own.

 

“Hi there,” Buck grins at him.

 

“Hey.” Eddie hopes he doesn’t look like the deer in the headlights he feels like at that moment.

 

“Come here often?”

 

Eddie snorts. Sarcasm overruling panic. “Never. I’ve never seen this truck in my life.” He helps pull the belt away from his chest and out of the truck. 

 

Once inside, he settles Buck on the couch with the remote and goes to grab him a glass of water and some painkillers. He comes back to see Buck glaring at his chest.

 

“Buck? What is it?”

 

“Your shirt.”

 

Eddie looks down at his t-shirt. It was from a fundraising event for the fire department. Buck has the exact same one. “What’s wrong with my shirt?”

 

Buck squints at it. “You’re still wearing it.” 

 

Eddie snorts. “That’s a problem?”

 

“Yeah. All of you is pretty and I wanna see.” Buck pouts.

 

“Now’s really not the time, buddy.” He hands the glass over. “Please, drink this.”

 

“Okay.” Buck keeps his eyes on Eddie the whole time he gulps down his drink.

 

“I’ll grab you some sweats to sleep in,” Eddie says quietly. But before he can leave the living room, Buck hollers his name.

 

“I could just not wear pants at all. More comfy that way.”

 

Eddie knows he should absolutely not agree to this. “Sure. Whatever helps.”

 

Buck fumbles with his button a few times before looking up at Eddie with a ridiculously pathetic expression on his face. “Need help.” He pouts.

 

_ This is a terrible idea. He’s just going to have to sleep in his jeans. I cannot be in this situation right now. What am I doing? _ Eddie’s mind screams at him as he approaches Buck. He quickly pops the button on the taller man’s jeans, staring at his shoulder and backing away as fast as possible. “That oughta do it. I’m just gonna-”

 

Before he can run away, Buck wiggles his pants down his legs, then loses his balance when he tries to step out of them. Eddie catches him before he can fall on his face. “My hero.” Eddie grins up at him.

 

Eddies heart does  _ not _ roll over in his chest.

 

He guides Buck down on the couch and kneels to ease off Buck’s shoes and socks before pulling his jeans the rest of the way off. He folds them up carefully and sets them on top of his shoes in front of the end table. “I’ll go get you a blanket, okay? Do you need anything else.”

 

Buck’s eyes, so light and suddenly clear, sear Eddie as he slowly shakes his head. Eddie nods and leaves to grab a spare blanket from the linen closet. When he returns to the living room, he sees Buck already spread out as best as he can be on the large couch. He smiles a little at Buck’s expectant expression before rolling his eyes and draping the blanket over the other man’s tall frame. He tucks him in before standing to leave.

 

“What about a goodnight kiss?” Buck asks before Eddie can turn away.

 

Eddie laughs. “What?”

 

“You always give Chris-pher a kiss when you put him to bed. Why not me?”

 

_ No grown man should be this adorable. _ “Christopher is my son. You are not.”

 

“So?”

 

Eddie shakes his head, amused. “Fine.” He leans down and presses his lips to Bucks' forehead and stands back up. “There. Happy now?”

 

The clear, wide-eyed look is back on Bucks' face. He nods once and Eddie bids him goodnight before turning to leave. A hand reaches out and grabs his wrist. He looks back to Buck.

 

“Stay.” Buck whispers. 

 

“You should get some sleep, Buck. I don’t wanna keep you up.”

 

“No.” A line forms between Buck’s eyebrows. “Stay with me.” He fumbles with the blanket with his free hand, lifting it up. “Please, Eddie. Stay.”

 

Eddie knows he should say no. He knows that laying down next to Buck on the couch where he’d be forced to be so, so close to him is a very bad idea that will lead do a spiral he’s not sure he’s ready to deal with. And how is Buck going to feel about waking up sober next to another man? Eddie prays for the best and takes the place Buck had left for him and pulls the blanket around them.

 

Buck immediately wraps his arms around Eddie, pulling his back against his chest. Eddie prays a little harder for strength.

 

“‘Member that time we had that Shrek marathon with Chris-pher an’ you cuddled with him here?” Buck mumbles in his ear. “I wanted to join so bad. I jus- I just wanted to be part of this- this family you have with you and Chris. You make me happy. Both.”

 

Eddie’s heart is pounding in his chest and it’s becoming harder to breathe. “You make us pretty happy, too, Buck.”

 

Buck nuzzles the back of Eddie’s neck. “Good. ‘Cause I love you. Kid, too.”

 

_ “What??” _ Eddie squeaks out. He pulls away a little to turn his head to look at Buck… who is fast asleep.

 

Eddie settles back down. “So help me, God, Evan Buckley. You better mean that in the morning.” He whispers and pushes back against him.

 

*

 

Buck wakes up to too bright light in his face. He doesn’t bother to open his eyes before trying to turn around only to find that his legs are tangled with someone else’s and at least one arm is pinned.  _ Not again. Please. _ Delaying the inevitable, he assesses his entire body. He’s still wearing a shirt and his underwear.  _ That’s good, right? _ His head is pounding slightly and his mouth feels like something died in it.  _ How much did I drink last night? _

 

The person in his arms shifts and he’s suddenly aware of how hard their chest is. And thighs. And how tall they are. His heart starts pounding and he takes a deep breath, recognizing tea tree and mint soap scent. He cracks open his eyes and stares down at the top of Eddie’s head. He must sense Buck’s consciousness because he shifts and looks up at him.

 

Eddie’s gorgeous brown eyes bring back everything he said the night before. Up to and including confessing his love for this man. Buck is ready to crawl in a hole and die now. He brings his free hand up to rub at his face.

 

Eddie rolls off the couch and stands up. Buck stares up at him, trying to figure out what he’s thinking but his face is carefully blank.

 

“Just closing the blinds and getting you some more water,” Eddie tells him quietly before walking to the window and making the room blessedly dimmer. He goes to the kitchen and Buck sits up, rubbing the pins and needles in his arm. Eddie returns and hands him a couple of Tylenol and a full glass of water. 

 

Buck tosses the pills in his mouth and chases them with the entire glass. He must have swallowed the dead thing too because his mouth feels much better. “Thank you.”

 

“You’re welcome.” Eddie sits back down on the couch, mirroring Buck’s position, back against the armrest, legs bent, feet on the center cushion. “How… how much do you remember from last night?”

 

_ Shit. _ Buck was hoping Eddie was asleep before he’d said those things. Not that he doesn’t ever want him to know how he feels, it’s just never felt like the right time. But thanks to Drunk Buck, the cat is out of the bag. Now, he can decide to lie and say he doesn't even remember getting to Eddie’s house  _ -oh god, I told him how pretty I think he is-  _ or he can man up and tell him that he remembers everything.  _ Why is this harder than running into burning buildings? _

 

He looks up into Eddie’s face. He doesn’t look closed off or even just curious. He looks… hopeful? Buck takes a deep breath. “I remember everything. Everything that I said.”

 

Eddie exhales. “Did you mean it?”

 

“Drunk words and sober thoughts and all that.” Buck keeps eye contact. “I meant every word.”

 

The most beautiful smile blooms on Eddie’s face and Buck feels like he’s been punched in the gut. “Yeah?”

 

“Absolutely.”

 

Eddie pushes up and onto his knees between Buck’s. “So, you’re not going to punch me in the face if I kiss you right now?”

 

“I might punch me in the face if you don’t,” Buck says, eyes wide, heart pounding.

 

Eddie laughs and shakes his head. “I don’t even know what that means.” He settles one hand on the armrest and one on the back of the couch then leans down captures Buck’s lips with his own.

 

Buck’s chest feels so full at the feel of Eddie’s mouth against his own and when Eddie pulls back, looks in his eyes, and says, “I love you, too.” he can’t help but wrap his arms around the older man and pull him against his chest, crashing his mouth back against his. They’re both smiling too much for the kisses to be really effective, but they’re still perfect.

 

Minutes or hours later, Buck lays across the couch with Eddie draped across his chest. “Any other thing you need to confess to me?” Eddie asks, smirking.

 

“I’m the one who broke Maddie’s cheer trophy, but it got blamed on the dog. My first kiss was technically Rita Sanchez but I told everyone it was Jessie Steel because she was more popular. And I totally could’ve undone my button myself last night, I just wanted you to do it.”

 

Eddie laughs and it’s the most amazing sound in the world.


End file.
